eBay expands its eBay Now same-day delivery service

Online shoppers in more cities, and using more web-enabled devices, can now use the eBay Now delivery service.

EBay Inc. said today it has expanded the service—billed as delivering items within an hour to consumers—to desktop computers. Previously, only shoppers using mobile devices could place orders via eBay Now. Consumers pay $5 per order, which couriers then deliver. Participating retailers include Best Buy Co. Inc. (No. 10 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide), Macy’s Inc. (No. 12) and Target Corp. (No. 18).

EBay Now had served San Francisco, parts of New York City and San Jose. Today eBay expanded the service to the larger Bay Area Peninsula area, Brooklyn and Queens. Consumers in Chicago and Dallas will receive access later this year, eBay says.

The move to desktop computers reflects consumer demand, writes eBay local and mobile vice president Dane Glasgow in a blog.

“More than half our orders are made between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. when our customers are usually at work,” he says. “We want to make it easy for consumers to access eBay Now on any device.”

Amazon.com Inc. and Google Inc. are among the other e-commerce operators that have launched or tested same-day deliveries for online orders. Amazon last month expanded its AmazonFresh grocery delivery service to Los Angeles. Walmart.com, the e-commerce site of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that is No. 4 in the Top 500, is also testing same-delivery in four markets.